Dmitri Trenin

Russia is worried that Korea could become potentially a battleground for a new conflict ... potentially with nuclear overtones, it is also worried that the North Korean nuclear and missile programs could lead to accidents that could endanger Russian security.

China and the U.S. are two superpowers, and North Korea has a reason to stand up to both in different ways, russia is a country whose attractiveness to North Korea lies precisely in it not having major leverage. Russia has this potential of being seen as a relatively benign actor by the North Koreans.

There are areas where Washington and Moscow can and do cooperate, and North Korea is one of those areas.

'The U.S. will not turn into a friend if he is elected, but at least we will have a change of partner,' 'We are so tired of Obama.'.

This is a conflict that reaches pretty deep into the psyche of the Russian people. It's not a foreign conflict. ... It's something very close to home, this is something that's at the back of a lot of people's minds, and in particular, people with sons of draft age are worried.

The visit will solidify the political relationship; confirm Russia as India's principal purveyor of arms; and expand ties in other areas, such as nuclear energy.

Fresh attempts to expose Russian ‘red line’ deterrence as hollow – whether on the ground, in the air, or at sea – would push Moscow to defend what it cannot give up without losing its self-respect, this would almost inevitably lead to clashes and casualties, which would carry the risk of further escalation. Should this happen, Russia-NATO confrontation would deteriorate literally to the point of brinkmanship, a truly bleak scenario.